NOMINATIONSPRESS KIT

THE LAUREUS WORLD SPORTS AWARDS

BY

NADIA COMANECI

The Laureus World Sports Awards provides an opportunity for the

greatest names in sport to come together and celebrate the most

illustrious achievements of the year.

As an Olympic and world champion, and now a Laureus World Sports

Academy Member, I have had the honour to play a part in this process

for many years.

Just as important for me, however, is the fact that the Laureus Awards

helps to generate funds which underpin the humanitarian work of the

Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. Since 2000, the lives of millions of

young people have been improved thanks to Laureus.

I have been to Shanghai several times on behalf of Laureus and met young

children with intellectual disabilities at the Special Olympics project we

support there. I always find my visits emotional, and I am so proud that

Laureus is able to make such a difference to them.

Today we announce the names of the Nominees for the 2015 Laureus

World Sports Awards. The eventual winners will then be chosen in a

secret ballot by the ultimate sports jury, the 50 members of the Laureus

World Sports Academy.

Each winner receives the Laureus Statuette at the Awards Ceremony, but

more importantly their success is a sign of the respect and admiration

with which they are held by the entire sporting world.

SHANGHAI

Shanghai, one of China’s most iconic travel destinations and one of the

most spectacular cities on Earth, is a perfect location for the 2015 Laureus

World Sports Awards. A popular tourist destination renowned for its

historical landmarks, such as The Bund, City God Temple and Yu Garden,

as well as the dramatic Lujiazui skyline, it is a showcase for the booming

economy of China. Shanghai mixes old-world charm with a modern

and vibrant city, perfectly blending the past and present. Shanghai

annually hosts some of the biggest sports events in the world, including

the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix and the IAAF Shanghai Diamond

League meeting.

Edwin Moses said: “My fellow Academy Members and I are delighted

that the 2015 Laureus Awards will be held in Shanghai, an exhilarating

and vibrant city, and I would like to thank the HengYuanXiang Group

(HYX) and the Shanghai Government for their support in making this

possible. Laureus is much more than an Awards Ceremony. As our first

Patron Nelson Mandela said, ‘Sport has the power to change the world’

and it can change people’s lives for the better. We will be using the 2015

Awards to send that message from Shanghai around China and the world

to show how sport can make a difference to the lives of every one of us.

Laureus has been working in Shanghai for many years, and now that we

are working together I know this will give us the chance to expand our

work here significantly.”

Host Partner HYX Group General Manager Mr Chen Zhongwei presented

his best wishes for the event to be held in Shanghai. He said: “2015

marks the Chinese Year of the Sheep. In Chinese culture, the sheep

symbolises good luck, which is the best greeting for the 2015 Laureus

World Sports Awards, the first such event in China. As the Host Partner

of the Laureus World Sports Awards, HYX will show our enthusiasm

and experience in successfully sponsoring sports events, so that the co-

operation between the two parties will be a valuable combination. This

is what is called ‘harmony’ in China. We truly believe that this will be

the most representative and unforgettable Laureus World Sports Awards

Ceremony in its history, when all the sports stars and those loving sport

will shine in the city together.”

Since their inception, three Laureus World Sports Awards have been

won by Chinese athletes: Houston Rockets’ basketball legend Yao Ming

was named Laureus Newcomer of the Year in 2003; two years later it

was the turn of Liu Xiang, the great 110 metres hurdler who won China’s

first ever gold medal in track and field, in the Athens Olympics in 2004;

and following the highly successful Beijing Olympic Games, the Chinese

Olympic Team received the Laureus World Team of the Year Award.

“We get a lot of awards throughout the year, but the Laureus is really the one that goes worldwide and for us, as athletes, it’s the pinnacle, and I’m very, very proud to receive the Award again. Each year it feels great, but I have to say the first one was the most important. It made the statement that Roger Federer has arrived.”

ROGER FEDERER (Winner of four Laureus Awards)

“This is one of the greatest honours. I worked hard over the years to win this a third time. It’s magnificent. It’s like winning a gold medal.”

USAIN BOLT (Winner of three Laureus Awards)

PAST LAUREUS WINNERS

“I am just so delighted to win this Award. Three Awards is amazing. As a tennis player, you look at the amazing names of the Academy Members, like Martina Navratilova, Boris Becker and Monica Seles, who have won so many Grand Slams and they know what it takes to do that. There is nothing better in sport than being acknowledged by the people that you looked up to when you were a young player.”

SERENA WILLIAMS (Winner of three Laureus Awards)

PAST LAUREUS WINNERS

“For years, I have known that Laureus represents the highest sports awards. We are very excited that the Laureus World Sports Awards are coming to Shanghai.”

YAO MING (Winner of Laureus Newcomer of the Year Award)

“It’s quite a strange feeling being here. I remember last year at the beginning of the season preparing for my first Grand Prix and watching the Awards and I wanted to come here and meet the stars, and I’m overwhelmed to be with so many legends. I’m very proud and I couldn’t have done it without my family.”

LEWIS HAMILTON (Winner of Laureus Breakthrough of the Year Award)

“I have been very lucky to win many great awards in my career, but the thing that makes a Laureus Award so special is the people who give it, the Laureus Academy Members.”

RAFAEL NADAL (Winner of three Laureus Awards)

PAST LAUREUS WINNERS

“I’ve received a lot of prizes and awards, but this one beats them all. I want to thank Laureus and all the Academy Members for voting for me. If I look down in my soul, the sense of pride is immense, but I also have a sense of embarrassment because I know how hard it has been for me and how hard and how much work and dedication there has been behind every comeback of all the other Nominees. So I accept this Award with a great reason pride, but I want to share this prize with all of them.”

ALESSANDRO ZANARDI (Winner of Laureus Comeback of the Year Award)

“I grew up watching some of the women I was in the category with, so to even be nominated with them is absolutely incredible. I have to thank the Laureus Academy for considering me for such a prestigious Award. This is such a dream come true. I am truly honoured.”

MISSY FRANKLIN (Winner of Laureus Sportswoman of the Year Award)

PAST LAUREUS WINNERS

SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR

NOMINEES

NOVAK DJOKOVIC (Serbia) Tennis

Won Wimbledon for the second time, defeating Roger Federer in the final in five sets. It was his seventh career Grand Slam title and his victory meant he replaced Rafael Nadal as world No.1. He also won the ATP Finals for the third time in a row. It was his seventh victory of the year, during which he only lost eight times in 69 matches. Won the Laureus Sports-man of the Year Award in 2012.

LEWIS HAMILTON (UK) Motor Racing

Won his second Formula One World Championship, with 11 Grand Prix victories. He was behind for much of the season to Mercedes AMG Petronas team-mate Nico Rosberg, but won six of the final seven Grand Prix to clinch a memorable world title, winning five consecutive races for the first time. With 33 wins he is now the most successful British driver ever, overtaking Nigel Mansell who won 31.

RENAUD LAVILLENIE (France) Athletics

Jumped 6.16 metres in Donetsk to break Laureus World Sports Academy Member Sergey Bubka’s pole vault record of 6.15 metres which had stood for almost 21 years. He won 21 out of 22 competitions during the year, including winning the gold medal in the European Championship. He won six Diamond League races and was named IAAF Men’s Athlete of the Year.

RORY MCILROY (UK) Golf

The No.1 golfer in the world with victories in two Major Championships in 2014 – The Open and the USPGA. He also won the flagship BMW PGA Cham-pionship on the European Tour at Wentworth and the World Golf Championship-Bridgestone event. McIlroy is the first European to win three different Majors, which he achieved at just 25. He led the prize money list on both European and US Tours.

MARC MÁRQUEZ (Spain) Motor Cycling

Won his second straight World MotoGP title, at the age of 21. He opened the year with ten straight Grand Prix wins, then added three more to reach a season total of 13, beating the record of Laureus Academy Member Mick Doohan, who won 12 in 1997. Marquez is one of only four riders to have won world titles in three different classes. He won the Laureus Break-through Award last year.

CRISTIANO RONALDO (Portugal) Football

Winner of the Ballon d’Or as World Player of the Year, he was also named UEFA Player of the Year at the end of last season after scoring a record 17 goals for Real Madrid as they won the Champions League/European Cup for the tenth time. Real Madrid also won the Spanish Copa del Rey and UEFA Super Cup. In December, he scored his 23rd hat-trick and his 200th goal in Spain’s La Liga.

NOMINEES SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR

VALERIE ADAMS (New Zealand) Athletics

For the fourth year in succession, the world and Olympic shot put champion ended the season unde-feated, having won all 14 competitions in which she competed, bringing her unbeaten streak to 56. She was named IAAF Women’s Athlete of the Year after she won all seven Diamond League events and gold medals in the World Indoor Championships and the Commonwealth Games.

MARIT BJØRGEN (Norway) Nordic Skiing

At 33, she became the most decorated female Winter Olympian in history by winning three gold medals in the 15km Skiathlon, Team Sprint and 30km Freestyle events at Sochi. Her career successes now total six Olympic gold medals, three silvers and a bronze. She also has 12 World Championship gold medals and is ranked first in all-time cross-country World Cup rankings.

GENZEBE DIBABA (Ethiopia) Athletics

The Ethiopian athlete broke three world records in two weeks in 2014. On February 1 in Karlsruhe she broke the 1,500 metres indoor record, five days later it was the 3,000 metres in Stockholm and on February 15 in Birmingham she broke the two mile record. She joins Jesse Owens and Usain Bolt as the only athletes to break three world records in three different events in two weeks.

TINA MAZE (Slovenia) Alpine Skiing

The Slovenian skier had another memorable year when she won two gold medals in the Winter Olympics in Sochi, taking the blue riband Downhill gold, shared with Dominique Gisin, and the Giant Slalom. These were the first Winter Olympic gold medals ever won by Slovenia. In an amazing all-round performance, she was also fourth in Super Combined, fifth in Super G and eighth in Slalom.

LI NA (China) Tennis

Won her second Grand Slam, the Australian Open, and achieved a career-best ranking of world No.2. However, seven months later she was forced to retire, at the age of 32, because of knee injuries. Over the course of her career, Li Na also won the 2011 French Open. She was the first Chinese player to win a Grand Slam which resulted in a significant increase in the growth of tennis in China.

SERENA WILLIAMS (US) Tennis

After a disappointing start in the first three Grand Slam events, Serena Williams rediscovered her form to win the US Open, her 18th Grand Slam victory, which put her level in the all-time list with Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. In October she also won her third straight WTA Finals. She is a three-time Laureus winner – Sportswoman’s Award (2003 & 2010) and Comeback Award (2007).

TEAM OF THE YEAR

EUROPEAN RYDER CUP TEAM (Golf)

Under the captaincy of Paul McGinley, Europe won the biennial Ryder Cup match against the United States at Gleneagles by the comfortable margin of 16½-11½. It was Europe’s third straight victory and its sixth in the last seven. Jamie Donaldson, Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy and Henrik Stenson were Europe’s lead-ing scorers with three points.

GERMANY MEN’S FOOTBALL TEAM

Became the first European team to win the FIFA World Cup in South America, beating Argentina 1-0 in the final. It was Germany’s fourth World Cup win. Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer won the Golden Glove award, while manager Joachim Löw was named Coach of the Year in the Ballon d’Or awards. Captain Philipp Lahm, Mats Hummels and Thomas Müller were picked for the FIFA Team of the Tournament.

MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS F1 TEAM (Germany) With brilliant drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, Mercedes AMG Petronas dominated the Constructors World Championship. Hamilton won 11 races and Rosberg won five. On 11 occasions the two drivers finished one-two. Led by principal Toto Wolff, technical director Paddy Lowe and former world champion Niki Lauda, the team collected 701 points, with nearest rivals Red Bull on 405.

REAL MADRID FOOTBALL TEAM (Spain)

Achieved a record tenth Champions League/European Cup victory after a tense final. In injury time, local rivals Atletico Madrid were winning 1-0 when Sergio Ramos equalised. Real Madrid eventually won 4-1 with goals from Gareth Bale, Marcelo and Cristiano Ronaldo, his record 17th Champions League goal of the season. It was manager Carlo Ancelotti’s third Champions League success.

SAN ANTONIO SPURS (US) Basketball

Won the NBA Championship for the fifth time, gaining revenge over Miami Heat who defeated them in 2013. The Spurs beat a Miami side, which included LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, three times in six days emphasising their superiority and winning the best-of-seven series 4-1. Kawhi Leonard was named MVP of the NBA Finals, averaging 17.8 points on 61% shooting.

SWITZERLAND DAVIS CUP TEAM (Tennis)

When Roger Federer defeated Richard Gasquet of France 6-4 6-2 6-2, in front of a record 27,448 crowd in Lille, it ensured the first ever Davis Cup win for his country. Switzerland had played and lost one previous final in 1992 when Federer was 11. Now 33, he partnered Stan Wawrinka to a 3-1 victory just a week after having to pull out of the ATP Finals because of a back injury.

NOMINEES

BREAKTHROUGH OF THE YEAR

MARIN CILIC (Croatia) Tennis

Seeded 14th, he won his first ever Grand Slam event at the US Open in 2014. He defeated Roger Federer impressively in straight sets in the semi-final and 10th seed Kei Nishikori, also in straight sets, in the final. By winning the US Open, Cilic brought Croatia a second Grand Slam men’s singles title after his coach Goran Ivaniševic triumphed in 2001 at Wimbledon.

MARIO GÖTZE (Germany) Football

Scored the winning goal for Germany against Argen-tina in the FIFA World Cup Final. At 22 he was the youngest goalscorer in a World Cup final since 1966. He was brought on by coach Joachim Löw after 88 minutes and told ‘show you are better than Messi.’ In the 113th minute he controlled the ball from André Schürrle’s cross and volleyed it into the net to give Germany their fourth World Cup.

DANIEL RICCIARDO (Australia) Motor Racing

After Mark Webber announced his retirement from Formula One, his fellow Australian Daniel Ricciardo replaced him at Red Bull. He made an instant impact, winning three Grand Prix in his rookie year – Canada, breaking a run of six Mercedes victories, Hungary and Belgium – and finishing ahead of teammate and four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel in the drivers’ championship.

JAMES RODRIGUEZ (Colombia) Football

Won the Golden Boot in the FIFA World Cup as leading scorer with six goals in five matches, despite his team Colombia losing in the quarter-finals. He was the first player to score in all his team’s opening matches since the great Brazilians Ronaldo and Rivaldo in 2002. He was named Best Player in the group stages by FIFA. After the World Cup, he transferred from Monaco to Real Madrid.

MIKAELA SHIFFRIN (US) Alpine Skiing

At the age of 18 years and 345 days, the American skier became the youngest ever Olympic Slalom champion, in Sochi. During the year she also won at Levi, Bormio, Flachau, Are and Lenzerheide to win her second straight Slalom World Cup. Totally dominant in the discipline, her victory at Schladming in 2013 means she is the current Olympic, world and World Cup slalom champion.

SWITZERLAND DAVIS CUP TEAM (Tennis)

When Roger Federer defeated Richard Gasquet of France 6-4 6-2 6-2, in front of a record 27,448 crowd in Lille, it ensured the first ever Davis Cup win for his country. Switzerland had played and lost one previous final in 1992 when Federer was 11. Now 33, he partnered Stan Wawrinka to a 3-1 victory just a week after having to pull out of the ATP Finals because of a back injury.

NOMINEES

COMEBACK OF THE YEAR

FRANCESCO ACERBI (Italy) Football

After his move to AC Milan in 2012 and his first Italian cap, Acerbi was loaned to smaller Serie A clubs, but was then diagnosed with testicular cancer. He won his battle against the disease and made a return for Sassuolo, scoring in the 2-1 Serie A win over Parma. He was subsequently selected for the Italy squad in November for the games against Croatia and Albania.

SCHALK BURGER (South Africa) Rugby

One of the outstanding players in international rugby, he survived death-threatening bacterial meningitis in intensive care to make a remarkable comeback to the South African team in 2014. He played against Australia and New Zealand in the Rugby Champion-ship and was then named man of the match in the November victory over England, in which he scored the decisive third try.

DIEGO MILITO (Argentina) Football

Scored the two goals in Inter Milan’s Champions League final win over Bayern Munich in 2010, but was then plagued by lack of form and bad injuries in Italy and in 2014 returned to Argentina to play again for his first club Racing of Avellaneda. He inspired the team to the Argentine championship for the first time in 13 years and secured for them a place in the 2015 Copa Libertadores.

JO PAVEY (UK) Athletics

Won the 10,000 metres at the 2014 European Championships in Zurich – her first ever international gold medal - ten months after giving birth to her second child. She became the oldest female European champion in history, at 40 years and 325 days. She also won a bronze medal in the 5,000 metres in the Commonwealth Games.

PIERRE VAULTIER (France) Snowboarding

Won the Winter Olympics gold medal in Sochi at snowboard cross just two months after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament. It can take an athlete up to nine months to recover from that injury. Vaultier’s career has suffered over the years because of injury. In December 2008 he suffered a lumbar fracture in training and missed most of the season.

OLIVER WILSON (UK) Golf

Aged 34 and lying 792nd in the world rankings, Oliver Wilson was on the verge of giving up golf, just six years after playing for Europe in the Ryder Cup in 2008. However in October he was given a sponsors’ invitation to play in the Alfred Dunhill Links Cham-pionship at St Andrews, and, after 228 European Tour starts, finally won a tournament, receiving the US$800,000 first prize.

NOMINEES

SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR WITH A DISABILITY

SHELLEY GAUTIER (Canada) Cycling

After a mountain biking accident which left her hemiplegic, Canada’s Shelley Gautier became the first female tricycle T1 rider on the international scene in 2009. Since then she has dominated her sport and won all UCI Para-Cycling World Championships over the past five years, most recently winning the T1 Time Trials and Road Race world titles in South Carolina in September.

TATYANA MCFADDEN (US) Wheelchair Racing

For the second year running, the amazing McFadden completed the classic marathon Grand Slam, winning in Boston, Chicago, London and New York. On the track she also broke the T54 world records in 1,500 and 5,000 metres. Earlier in the year, she showed her versatility by switching to the Winter Paralympics in Sochi and winning the silver medal in the 1km cross-country sprint.

ROMAN PETUSHKOV (Russia) Nordic Skiing

In Sochi, Russian sit-skier Roman Petushkov, who lost both legs in a car accident, became the first athlete to win six gold medals at a Paralympic Winter Games. In biathlon, the 36-year-old won the men’s 7.5km, 12.5km and 15km races and in cross-country he took gold in the men’s 1km sprint, 15km and 4x2.5km open relay.

ANNA SCHAFFELHUBER (Germany) Alpine Skiing

At Sochi, aged just 21, German paraplegic sit-skier Anna Schaffelhuber became only the second skier in history to win all five alpine skiing gold medals – Downhill, Super-G, Slalom, Combined and Giant Slalom - at one Paralympic Winter Games. Also in the 2013/14 season she dominated every single IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup race in which she finished, which gave her the overall World Cup title.

SARAH STOREY (UK) Cycling

Born without a functioning left hand, she won four world cycling titles in her first year back in action after giving birth to her daughter. At the track World Championships she won the individual pursuit in a new world record time and the scratch race. She followed this up with world titles in the road World Championships in the individual time trial and road races.

YUK WING LEUNG (Hong Kong SAR China) Boccia

After ten years of under performance following his double gold medal success at the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games, Hong Kong SAR China’s Yuk Wing Leung at last re-emerged in 2014 as one of the world’s best boccia players, winning four gold medals at the World Championships and Asian Para Games. Boccia is a precision sport which is related to bowls and pétanque.

NOMINEES

ACTION SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR

ALAN EUSTACE (US) Skydiving

American computer scientist who jumped from 135,889 feet (41.4km) breaking Felix Baumgartner’s 2012 world record for the highest free fall jump. Following a balloon-powered ascent, his jump to Earth lasted 15 minutes with speeds exceeding 821.45 mph (1,322kmh). His equipment included a life-support system to allow him to breathe pure oxygen in a pres-sure suit and a drogue parachute.

STEPHANIE GILMORE (Australia) Surfing

After a poor 2013 when she did not win an event, Stephanie Gilmore came roaring back to win her sixth World Surfing Championship. She opened the year with a win on the Gold Coast then in September won at Lower Trestles and in Portugal. She is now just one title behind Australian great and Laureus Ambassador Layne Beachley and, at just 26, must have a good chance to overtake her.

NYJAH HUSTON (US) Skateboarding

Nyjah Huston, at 19, won the final event of the X-Games in Austin with a flourish, taking the men’s skateboard Street gold medal with 95.00 points, the highest score ever in an X Games Street final. It was his sixth career gold, making him the most successful X-Games Street skater ever. He also won the Tampa Pro in March and four events on the SLS Nike SB World Tour.

SAGE KOTSENBURG (US) Snowboarding

Won the inaugural Slopestyle men’s gold medal at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, performing a trick never tried before which he called the ‘Holy Crail’ and which amazed the crowd. The 20-year-old jetted off the first jump and did 3½ rotations while flipping twice, reach-ing behind his back and pulling on his board, while his other hand grabbed the nose of the board.

DANNY MACASKILL (UK) Trials Cycling

From his first five minute street trials video filmed by his flatmate in 2009, Danny MacAskill’s trickery on his bike has taken him around the world, producing a series of amazing clips. His latest adventure in 2014 took him back to his home on Scotland’s Isle of Skye where he rode the treacherous mountainous Cuillin Ridge. In the first five days, his video on YouTube had ten million viewings.

GABRIEL MEDINA (Brazil) Surfing

Won Brazil’s first ever World Surfing Championship, becoming the first 20-year-old to win the world title since Kelly Slater won the first of his 11 successes in 1992. Medina finished runner-up at the final event, the Pipe Masters in Hawaii, which was enough to beat defending champion Mick Fanning. In a dominant year, he won the first event on the Gold Coast and also in Fiji and Tahiti.

NOMINEES

THIS IS THE 16TH YEAR OF THE LAUREUS

WORLD SPORTS AWARDS. PREVIOUS

AWARDS CEREMONIES HAVE BEEN HELD IN

MONACO, LISBON, ESTORIL, BARCELONA,

ST. PETERSBURG, ABU DHABI, LONDON,

RIO DE JANEIRO AND KUALA LUMPUR.

AROUND 500 OF THE WORLD’S TOP MEDIA

FROM MANY COUNTRIES ATTEND.

LAUREUS USES OVER 3,000 ROOM NIGHTS

AT LOCAL HOTELS, CONTRIBUTING TO THE

LOCAL ECONOMY, AND EMPLOYS AROUND

300 LOCAL PEOPLE DURING THE AWARDS.

AROUND 500 HIGH-PROFILE GUESTS ATTEND

THE LAUREUS WORLD SPORTS AWARDS.

LAUREUS WAS CREATED BY ITS FOUNDING

PATRONS RICHEMONT AND DAIMLER AND

IS SUPPORTED BY ITS GLOBAL PARTNERS

MERCEDES-BENZ AND IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN.

WHAT IS LAUREUS

Laureus is a universal movement that celebrates the power of sport

to bring people together as a force for good. Laureus is composed of

three elements – the Laureus World Sports Academy, the Laureus Sport

for Good Foundation and the Laureus World Sports Awards – which

collectively celebrate sporting excellence and use sport as the means to

promote social change.

There are 50 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy: Giacomo

Agostini, Marcus Allen, Franz Beckenbauer, Boris Becker, Ian Botham,

Sergey Bubka, Bobby Charlton, Sebastian Coe, Nadia Comaneci,

Yaping Deng, Marcel Desailly, Kapil Dev, Mick Doohan, David Douillet,

Rahul Dravid, Emerson Fittipaldi, Sean Fitzpatrick, Dawn Fraser, Cathy

Freeman, Tanni Grey-Thompson, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Mika Häkkinen,

Tony Hawk, Mike Horn, Miguel Indurain, Michael Johnson, Kip Keino, Franz

Klammer, Tegla Loroupe, Dan Marino, Edwin Moses (Chairman), Nawal

El Moutawakel, Robby Naish, Ilie Nastase, Martina Navratilova, Alexey

Nemov, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Morné du Plessis, Hugo Porta, Steve

Redgrave, Vivian Richards, Monica Seles, Mark Spitz, Daley Thompson,

Alberto Tomba, Steve Waugh, Katarina Witt, Li Xiaopeng and Yang Yang.

The Academy Members are supported by Laureus Ambassadors in

countries all over the world. These include current and past sports stars

like Ryan Giggs, Luis Figo, Pep Guardiola, Bryan Habana, Janica Kostelic,

Tim Henman, Chris Paul, Nicol David and André Villas-Boas.

The Laureus Academy Members volunteer their services as global

ambassadors for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, which was set

up to promote the use of sport as a tool for social change. The Foundation

addresses social challenges through a worldwide programme of sports-

related community development initiatives. Since its inception, Laureus

has raised over €60 million for projects which have helped to improve the

lives of millions of young people. The mission of the Laureus Foundation

is to use sport as the means to combat some of the world’s toughest

social challenges facing young people today, such as juvenile crime,

gangs, HIV/AIDS, discrimination, social exclusion, landmines awareness

and health problems like obesity.

The Laureus World Sports Awards is the premier global sports awards

honouring the greatest sportsmen and women across all sports each year.

The winners are selected by the ultimate sports jury – the 50 members of

the Laureus World Sports Academy, the living legends of sport honouring

the great athletes of today. The Awards are presented at an annual Awards

Ceremony, attended by global figures from sport and entertainment, and

are watched by 230 million people in over 180 countries and territories.

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P.15 - SHELLEY GAUTIER - ANDY WILSON/CYCLING CANADAP.15 - YUK WING LEUNG - HONG KONG PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE AND SPORTS ASSOCIATION FOR THE PHYSICALLY DISABLED

P.16 - ALAN EUSTACE - J. MARTIN HARRIS PHOTOGRAPHY/PSDC

PRESS CONTACT

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Tel: +44 (0) 207 514 2841

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